Butter-cutter.



D.TAKAHASHL BUTTER CUTTER. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 15. I916.

Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

Q INVENTOR. $mmsskmmwam as BY ATTORNEY BUTTER-CUTTER.

Specification of letter Patent. I I Patgntjed Sept. 18 1917 Application fileii December 15, 1913; Serial No.-13"7,196.

To all "whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANNOJO TAKAHASHI, a subject of the Emperor. of Japan, residing at Portland, county of Multnomah, State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Butter-Cutters,fof which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to butter cutters-in general, and particularly to that class of such devices as are used to cut and form butter into small cakes for individual use, such as are commonly employed in restaurants.

The-object of my invention is to provide a device that shall receive butter in bulk and press and cut the same into individual pieces; that is simple in construction, positive in action, easily kept clean, and cheap to manufacture.

I attain the above objects by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which therefore becomes a part of this application for Letters Patent, in which like characters ofreference indicate like parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure l is a perspective view of my device partially broken away to illustrate the construction.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the screw thread, shown upon an enlarged scale.

The body portion of my device which is constructed to receive the butter in bulk is constructed of a bottom 3, sides 4-, and a back 5.

A diaphragm 6 is placed within the body and adapted to slide longitudinally therein.

To effect the longitudinal movement of said diaphragm I employ a screw 7 rotatably mounted in diaphragm 6, extending through back 5, and upon the rearward end thereof having a crank 8.

When said screw is turned in the proper direction it is caused to move forward by means of a dog 9 pivotally mounted upon hack 5 and having a lug 10 adapted to engage the threads upon screw 7 WVhen it is necessary to slide the dia phragm 6 rearwardly to receive a new charge of butter the dog 9 is swung upward into the dotted position 9, thereby removing the lug 10 from the screw thread and enabling the screw to be withdrawn through the back 5 without turning the screw.

To divide the butter into proper size porm I m t upon t forw rd. end. o the body a die frame 11. having therein a plurality of knives 12 which divide the butter as it is pressed therethrough into portions of proper size for individual use.

*In order to sever'these portions of butter from the main body of the butter as they are pressed through the die frame I employ a knife 13 rotatably mounted adjacent the die frame and adapted to sweep across the outside face of said die frame and of the knives 12, and in contact therewith.

In order that each individual portion of the butter as it is severed by the knife 13 may be a rectangular "prism it is necessary that'the flow of the butter through the die frame 11 shall be arrested while the knife 13 is operating across the face of the die frame, and to accomplish this it is necessary that the motion of the diaphragm 6 be arrested.

It will thus be evident that the motion of the diaphragm 6 must be intermittent and also, synchronous with the motion of the knife 13.

To accomplish this I mount a gear 1d upon the rear end of shaft 15, which shaft revolves in suitable bearings 16 upon the under side of the bottom 8, and carries upon its forward end the knife 13.

A gear 17 is also mounted upon screw 7 rind meshes with gear 14.

Said gear 17 is rotatably secured but longitudinally slidable upon the screw 7 by means of a key operating within a groove 18 upon screw 7.-

A portion 19 of each screw thread is formed circumferential or normal to the axis of the screw, while the remainder 20 of the thread is helical.

As portion 19 of the thread passes lug 10 on dog 9 the screw and the diaphragm at tached thereto do not advance, or in other words are longitudinally stationary, and the gear ratio of the gears 14- and 17 is such that during this period of rest for the diaphragm the knife 13 sweeps the surface of the die frame 11 and severs the portions of the butter that have been pressed through the die frame by the previous motion of the diaphragm.

During the remainder of each revolution of the knife 13, after the same has swept the surface of the die frame, the helical portion 20 of the thread is passing the lug 10 on dog 9, and thus the screw and the diaphragm attached thereto are advanced toward. the die frame 11 thus forcing the butterthrough said frame and past knives 12.

As a means of imprisoning the gear 17 I.

provide a false back 21 to the body, at tached to the back 5 by spacers 22.

and constructed of any materials deemed 7 convenient and suitable in, a device of this character, and While I have illustrated and described a form of construction and arrangement of partsfound desirable'in materializing my invention, I Wish to include in this application for Letters Patent all mechanical equivalents and substitutes that may fairly beconsidered to come within the scope and purview of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

- -IIaving disclosed my invention so that others skilled in the art may be enabled to construct and to use the same, what I claim.

as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a butter cutter,a body having two sides, ,a bottom and an end piece; a'die I frame secured to the end of said body opposite said end piece; a longitudinally slidable diaphragm within said body; a rod rotatably attached to said diaphragm and extending through said end piece;'a thread upon said rod having a portion only of each circumferential turn thereof helical; a dog pivotally mounted upon said back piece and coacting with said thread3'a gear ro- ;Copies this patent may be'o btained for tatably fixed and longitudinally slidabley upon said threaded rod; a rotatable shaft substantially parallel to said threaded rod;- a knife mounted upon said shaft adjacent said die frame, a pinion secured to said VlVIy inventlon may be made of any size shaft and adapted to mesh with said gear upon the threaded rod, the ratio between said pinion and said gear being such that the change of pitch of the thread upon said rod holds said diaphragm stationary while said knifeis performing its function; and means to operate said threaded rod.

' 2. In a butter cutter having a box like body, a die frame, a knife adjacent said die '1 frame, and a slidable diaphragm within said body; a'rodoperablyconnected to said diaphragm; a thread upon said rod having a portion only ofea'ch circumferential turn thereof helical; a dog coacting with said thread; and means whereby said knife is driven from said threaded rod in such a manner that the change of pitch of said thread holds 1 said diaphragm, stationary while said knife performs its function.

. In witness whereof I claimthe above as five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. c. a 

